.S9 S5 
1912 
^opy 1 



The Value of 

Sweet Clover 




Glass ^> [^^ZCS ~~ 
Book -^ ^ C>«5 ^ 



Copyright N°. 



/f/^ 



COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT. 



The Value of 

Sweet Clover 



By J. F. SINN 

n 

of 
A. A. BERRY SEED CO. 



^mm^ 



PRICE, $1.00 



Published by 

A. A. Berry Seed Company 

CLARINDA, IOWA 

Combe Printing company «T^^^t> Saint Joseph, Missouri 






COPYRIGHTED 1912 
J. F. Sinn 



€aA3.30580 



Contents 

Chapter Page 

Introduction 5 

1. History of the Plant 7 

2. Different Species 12 

3. Where It Will Grow 15 

4. Time of Seeding 19 

5. Preparation and Amount to Sow 22 

6. Inoculation and Fertilization 27 

7. Value as a Hay Crop 31 

8. Value as a Pasture 37 

9. Scientific Feed Value 41 

10. Value as a Fertilizer 45 

11. Value as a Seed Crop 50 

12. Where to Obtain Seed 54 

13. Eradication 56 

14. Conclusion 58 



Introduction 

The idea in preparing this little book is to 
set forth in clear and simple language the main fea- 
tures connected with the growing of Sweet Clover; 
to exploit the value of the plant, so that its true 
value may be known, and to have Sweet Clover pos- 
sess the place which was intended for it when 
created by the Almighty. 

It is intended to convey useful information and 
suggestions that will be beneficial to the inexpe- 
rienced grower and to those who are not acquainted 
with its merits and do not know of its value. There 
has been but little written of an authoritative na- 
ture concerning Sweet Clover. The author believes 
there is a place for this booklet in the library of ev- 
ery practical farmer who is interested in progress 
and is desirous of learning more about forage plants. 
From now on it is to the forage plant we must look 
to replace what has been robbed from the soil by 
constant farming and growing of other crops. 

There is certainly a large field for Sweet Clover 
to fill, for every tiller of the soil appreciates the 
need of a restorative, as the soil is fast becoming de- 
pleted of its nitrogen and humus and requires re- 
building. 

I realize there is a wide variation and difference 
in opinion as to the merits of Sweet Clover, and all 
will not agree with the writer as to its value, al- 
though authentic tests have proven that it is on par 
with Alfalfa as a feed, and can be grown success- 
fully over a much larger area, as Alfalfa is rather a 

— 5 — 



particular chooser of the kind of soil on which it will 
grow. In some instances Sweet Clover is being con- 
demned, possibly because of not understanding the 
plant, while others are too enthusiastic and overes- 
timate its worth, but the writer will feel that his ef- 
forts have accomplished the purpose intended, if this 
book is the means of influencing individuals to test 
it out for themselves and to prove its value by exper- 
iments and observation. 




— 6 — 



Chapter I 

HISTORY OF PI,ANT 

Generally when speaking of Sweet Clover 
(Melilotus Alba), we have in mind the White Blos- 
som variety, although there are four distinct species, 
which will be taken up later and each discussed. 
However, the White Blossom is considered for most 
purposes the most valuable, and when no qualifying 
term is used the white species is the one usually 
meant. The writer would ask that you bear this 
explanation in mind, as this understanding of the 
term is used in the following pages of this treatise. 

This plant is known by a number of different 
names. The most common are Bokhara or Melilo- 
tus, which means honey lotus or honey plant. It is 
also called Bee Clover, Honey Lotus, Tree Clover 
and Giant Alfalfa. 

While Sweet Clover is one of the oldest of the 
leguminous plants and from a careful study of the 
plant might be considered the most valuable, it is 
strange that not until recent years was its true 
worth discovered. The plant is a native of cen- 
tral Asia and has grown on the desert lands and 
mountain sides for over 2,000 years, growing 
luxuriantly, not being affected by the severe win- 
ters, nor by the extreme heat and drouth in sum- 
mer. From there it spread to Europe, where for a 
number of years it has been cultivated to some ex- 
tent for hay, pasture and as a fertilizer. It was 
also used somewhat in ancient times for medicines, 

— 7^ 



and in some instances this practice still exists to the 
present time. 

The White Blossom Sweet Clover was first in- 
troduced in the United States in the early part of 
the eighteenth century by the colonists from Europe, 
but then little did they think that this honey plant, 
as it was called, would be the sensation of the twen- 
tieth century, so far as adding wealth to the agri- 
cultural industry is concerned. 

Sweet Clover had always been considered a 
great honey plant and was utilized more in this re- 
spect than any other, although it was known to be 
of some value as a forage crop and fertilizer. It 
is now distributed more or less over the entire civ- 
ilized world, and is sure to become the most popular 
plant of modern times. Its great value as a forage 
crop and fertilizer is being preached by all agricul- 
tural writers, and it has been greatly exploited by 
the best farm papers. Every up-to-date farmer has 
heard or read or knows from observation something 
about Sweet Clover. 

To those who are not acquainted with Sweet 
Clover it might seem that the value of the plant may 
be over-estimated and that it is a fad or hobby which 
will pass by. It is not astounding that the true 
value of Sweet Clover was not discovered until the 
twentieth century, for this is the age when progress 
and inventions are being made in all lines. It would 
be a sad lot, indeed, for the tiller of the soil if no 
progress were made to aid him in the way of secur- 
ing new crops or discovering further uses and values 
of different plants. 

What has always seemed very strange to the 
writer is that the King road drag was not discov- 
ered sooner, for it certainly is a simple device and 

— 8— . 



undoubtedly excells all machinery when it comes to 
making a fine dirt highway. As in all lines there is 
much wealth and latent power awaiting develop- 
ment; so it is true in the agricultural pursuit that 
there is undoubtedly great wealth hidden and lying 
dormant in the soil. In all probability we shall 
from time to time learn some of the new things in 
plant life that will not only be a big surprise to us, 
but will add greatly to our already large number of 
paying crops. When one is seeking a fortune it is 
always well to look near at home, for often the hid- 
den treasure is right at hand and only requires 
someone to bring it to light. 

If you would speak of Sweet Clover as a weed 
you would cause no sensation, for it has been con- 
sidered as such, and you will find it growing lux- 
uriantly along the highways, railroad right-of-ways 
and many times in deep cuts where there is nothing 
but the yellow clay, in which it makes an unusual 
growth. It also makes a great growth along the ir- 
rigating ditches, and in this way has been spread 
rapidly; also by bee-keepers who have sowed it in 
various waste places. 

There is no reason why Sweet Clover should 
ever have been classed as a weed, except that it is a 
prolific grower and is easily started, defies drouth 
and grows on nearly all kinds of soil. On account 
of its adaptability and persistency in grov/ing it 
was classed as a weed by those who did not know of 
its commercial value ; but this is the only character- 
istic of a weed that the plant possesses. And the 
very fact that it is so unusually hardy makes it all 
the more valuable as a forage plant, for no one need 
fail in growing it. The plant is a biennial and is 
not hard to eradicate and never becomes a pest, as it 
can be easily killed out by cultivation. 

— 9 — 



The utilization of Sweet Clover should be accom- 
panied by a thorough understanding of its various 
characteristics, which are essential to know, in or- 
der to insure success with the crop and also pre- 
vent any ill-effects which might result from growing 
it in ignorance. 

Its value as a honey plant is quite generally un- 
derstood, but this is the least important. Its great 
value as a fertilizer has not been fully understood, 
and it is going to bring an abundance of wealth to 
this country by increasing the fertility of run-down 
soils and reclaiming old worn-out farms. It has 
been utilized for hay and pasture in a very limited 
way, for it has been treated as a weed, and possibly 
by mental telepathy the thought passed from the 
farmers' minds to the stock, as they also seem to 
have looked upon it as being unfit for food and re- 
fused to eat it when they have had access to other 
pasture. The reason stock refuse to eat it at first 
is due to a bitter taste and odor, but when once in- 
duced to eat it they apparently relish it and become 
very fond of it and prefer it to other forage. It 
has great feeding value, ranking right alongside of 
Alfalfa. In some respects it excels Alfalfa, its 
only rival, as a forage crop. 

There is certainly a large field for Sweet Clover 
to fill, and it cannot help but be of great value to 
every farm and farmer, for there is not only a great 
need of a fertilizer in the south and east on the old 
worn-out farms, but there is also a great need 
throughout the entire corn belt. The plant does not 
only add wealth in the corn belt by supplying nitro- 
gen and humus to the soil, but its greatest addition 
is its feed value. We have our great corn plant, rich 
in carbon hydrates, fat producing element, but short 
on protein-bone, muscle and milk producing food, 

— 10 — 



By combining Sweet Clover with corn we have one 
of the greatest feeding combinations known, and 
every stock raiser or dairyman will hail with de- 
light the one thing for which he has been constantly 
searching. Every feeder and dairyman has been 
short on protein, and it has been expensive to ob- 
tain it by purchasing such feeds as bran, shorts, 
oil, meal, clover and alfalfa hay. The value of Sweet 
Clover as a protein feed will be better appreciated 
when you realize that a ton of it is equal to a ton of 
bran in food value, and it is claimed by some that 
in this respect it even excels Alfalfa. 

It has several decided advantages over Alfalfa, 
which mighl be briefly mentioned at this time. 
First, and one of great importance, is that it is 
easily started, and this one fact recommends it to 
many farmers who have been unsuccessful in grow- 
ing Alfalfa. It is also true that it is adapted to 
a wider range of soil and will thrive under condi- 
tions that Alfalfa would not. And, again, it with- 
stands great drought and does not winterkill. It 
will also produce more forage and is considered by 
the best authorities a better fertilizer. This does 
not mean that Alfalfa is not all that is claimed for 
it, but it now has a rival which bids fair to excel it 
in many ways, and it is to the interest of everyone 
to study both plants and know which one is best 
adapted to his specific requirements and decide 
which he ought to grow. 



11 — 



Chapter II 

DIFFBRBNT SPBCIISS 

There are three distinct varieties of Sweet 
Clover which are quite common in this country. In 
fact, four varieties are known to us, and in the 
old world there are still other varieties, but of little 
prominence. It will be well to take each variety 
up separately, in the order of their value, and give 
a short description, so that our readers may be fa- 
miliar with their respective merits. 

First. White Blossom Sweet Clover (Melilo- 
tus Alba), is the most common and is the variety 
commonly referred to v/hen merely speaking of 
Sweet Clover. Nearly everyone has seen this va- 
riety growing, for it is the one commonly seen along 
the highways, railroad right-of-ways and various 
out of the way places, and when once started it 
grows very luxuriantly, if unm.olested. It is a 
biennial (two year plant) , growing from a tap root 
and sends up an erect branching plant, with ascend- 
ing stems not heavily covered with leaves. The 
first season, when sowed in the spring, it makes a 
growth twenty to thirty mches in height and re- 
serves a large supply of food material in the root 
for a rapid and vigorous growth the second year. 

Plants when young greatly resemble Alfalfa, 
but need never be confused with it, for it can be 
readily distinguished by the bitter taste and odor 
of its foliage. The bitter taste it possesses is due 
to cumarin, but this is a decided advantage, as it 
prevents bloating when used for pasture. 

— 12 — 



When in bloom it is a very attractive plant, 
growing from five to ten feet high, and is generally- 
covered with bees. The flowers are white, bloom- 
ing in long, loose racemes, and a single seed is 
borne in a reticular pod. After the seed is pro- 
duced the plant dies. 

In harmony with other legumes it stores up ni- 
trogen in the nodules of its roots, and this is the 
important element in adding fertility to the soil on 
which it is grown. 

The seed very closely resembles Alfalfa seed, 
and cannot be easily distinguished, except by the 
odor which is common to Sweet Clover. Alfalfa is 
being used as an adulterant for Sweet Clover in 
some instances. 

Second. Large Yellow Blossom Sweet Clover 
(Melilotus Officinalis), is very similar to the White 
Blossom, just described, but is not so common. Like 
the White Blossom Sweet Clover it is a biennial, 
but does not grow as high, attaining from three to 
five feet in height. It is more spreading in habit 
and grows closer to the ground, making it often dif- 
ficult to mow. This is an objectionable feature, for 
it leaves branches which produce seed, making it 
more difficult to eradicate unless cultivated. It 
blooms about ten days earlier than the White Blos- 
som and grows a finer stem, and is preferred in 
some localities for hay on account of not growing 
so rank. The seed is very similar to the White 
Blossom, and it is difficult to distinguish them. 

Third. Small Yellow Blossom Sweet Clover 
(Melilotus Indica). This species is a low growing, 
erect plant, blossoming very early in the season. This 
plant is supposed to have originally come from In- 
dia. It is an annual, while the two preceding spe- 
cies are biennials, and are far more important. 

— 13 — 



This plant is only grown in a limited way in the 
United States, flourishing mostly in southern Cali- 
fornia, where it is considered of value, but is not 
recommended for sections where the other varieties 
can be grown advantageously. 

As stated, it is an annual, coming from the seed 
each year, making it undesirable, as it makes but 
little growth east of the Missouri River, and has but 
little value except in a sub-tropical region. 

It is a legume, the same as the other varieties, 
but is not recommended, for it contains more cuma- 
rin, making it very bitter and less palatable for stock 
of all kinds. 

However, it is very essential that you become 
familiar with this variety, and on this account one 
should know the difference. Several seed dealers 
have been imposed upon during the past few years, 
for the annual has been substituted for the large 
yellow blossom, which is a biennial, and is not to 
be compared with the annual in any way. The 
seed of the small annual Yellow Blossom species 
has a rough surface, while the large biennial are 
smooth. The Seed Laboratory of the Department 
of Agriculture, Washington, D. C, is prepared to 
identify samples. Anyone who wishes the Large 
Yellow Blossom variety should be particular about 
purchasing their seed from a reliable party, who 
knows what is being offered. 

Fourth. Blue Blossom Sweet Clover. There 
is a variety that has a blue blossom, but it is not 
common in the United States and is not generally 
considered. It is supposed to be a native of Africa 
and is very similar to the Large Yellow and White 
Blossom varieties, being a biennial and in general 
appearance resembles them, except the color of 
blossom. It grows to a height of three to five feet, 
and is an erect branching plant, easily eradicated by 
cultivation. 

— 14 — 



Chapter III 
WHERB IT WII/I/ GROW 

It has been generally stated that Sweet Clover 
is being grown in all civilized countries, which is 
true, and it is also being grown in all parts of the 
United States. It possesses a wider adaptability as 
to soil and climate than any of the other leguminous 
plants, growing successfully in the sub-tropical cli- 
mates and also enduring the wide range of tempera- 
ture to which it is subjected throughout the North- 
ern States and Canada. Sweet Clover thrives in the 
most humid sections, and will withstand a great 
amount of moisture and very unfavorable condi- 
tions, such as overflow, and m this respect is about 
equal to Alsike; it also thrives in the semi-arid re- 
gions, where the rainiall is very limited and not over 
half of what is required to produce a Clover crop. 
On the "acid" soils which are found in the Eastern 
States it grows very satisfactorily, and wLen planted 
on such soil it has a tendency to counteract the acid- 
ity and put the soil into shape for gro .ving other 
plants which would not thrive before. We also 
find it growing on the alkali soil of the Western 
States, where alkali would prevent raising other 
farm crops. It grows on very thin, sandy soil, and 
on the gravelly hills which are too poor to produce 
any other crop advantageously, and you also find it 
growing in the limestone quarries. It thrives ex- 
ceedingly well on the limestone hills in the East, 
which will not produce other crops. You will find it 
making a luxuriant growth on the clay banks of 

— 15 — 



deep cuts and has also been noticed growing on blue 
clay taken from the bottom of a well. In fact, it 
will grow on all kinds of soil, with the exception of 
low, wet ground which is water logged, but even in 
this respect it grows on very wet land, and has a 
tendency to relieve the boggy condition. It makes 
a splendid growth on the rich black loam, and also 
on the black gumbo commonly found on bottom land. 
The only other exception is soil which has been com- 
pletely depleted of lime. Sweet Clover requires lime 
in the soil, and this mineral has been well provided 
by nature and nearly all soil contains sufficient lime 
to insure growing it successfully. It is a great 
drouth resisting plant, and this undoubtedly is due to 
the fact that it sends out a long tap root, making a 
great root growth the tirst season, and stands the 
long, hot, dry summers of the Southern States bet- 
ter than Japan Clover or any of the other forage 
crops. It also withstands the hot, dry summers of 
the western plains, remaining green and making a 
splendid growth, despite the hot, dry weather which 
is so disastrous to all kinds of plant life. 

Sweet Clover is a wonderful plant, growing in 
so many different climates and conditions, and we 
wish to give what the Farmers' Bulletin, No. 485, of 
the Department of Agriculture, has to say on this 
point: '*It thrives in the most humid parts of the 
country, as well as in the semi-arid sections, where 
the rainfall is but three-iiiths of that required for 
the normal growth of such crops as Timothy and 
Red Clover. It produces satisfactory crops on the 
''acid" soils of the Eastern States and also on the 
alkali soils of the West, where sufficient alkali is 
present to prevent the growth of most farm crops. 
It will grow on soils too sandy to support ordinary 
field crops, and appears to be even better adapted 

—•16 — 



to raw clay and loose cuts and fills, where scarcely 
any other vegetation is able to establish a foothold. 
It also makes an excellent growth in gravel pits and 
stone quarries, but for some reason does not seem 
to do well on unsettled, cultivated soil. It makes its 
best growth where the soil is compact and not 
crowded with other vegetation. In such states as 
Iowa it seems to require a rich soil for satisfactory 
growth, but on the limestone hills of the Eastern 
and Southern States it makes a good growth on soils 
too poor to produce a paying crop of corn." 

From all reports received from the best author- 
ity it would seem that Sweet Clover has a wider 
range of adaptability not only in latitude and soil, 
growing in the extreme North, to the extreme South, 
but also possesses great endurance and thrives with- 
out rainfall and not only withstands moisture and 
defies drouth, but has the same endurance when it 
comes to heat or cold. The fact that Sweet Clover 
is adapted to such a wide range of soil and condi- 
tions recommends it as one of the most important of 
the leguminous forage crops and makes it a valuable 
plant on account of not being able to grow other 
crops where it thrives. 

Sweet Clover is being grown quite extensively 
as a field crop in Alabama, Mississippi and Ken- 
tucky, and is proving fully equal to its reputation 
as laid down by scientific agricultural writers, and 
is bringing an abundance of wealth in the way of 
renewing the depleted fields which have been farm- 
ed to death. You will also find Sweet Clover 
growing in Iowa, Nebraska, Illinois, Indiana, Mis- 
souri, Wisconsin, Utah, New York, and, in fact, 
nearly every state in the Union is growing Sweet 
Clover to some extent. The demand is rapidly in- 
creasing and every up-to-date, wide-awake farmer 

— 17 — 



is interested in the plant and is making investiga- 
tion as to its merits, and in many cases is testing 
it out in a small way. It is really amazing to note 
what interest has been manifested, and consequently 
tht-re has been an unusual demand for seed. Last 
year the demand exceeded the supply and many 
were unable to obtain seed, while others who were 
so anxious to give it a trial secured the Yellow Blos- 
som instead of the White, for it seemed more plenti- 
ful, but much of the Yellow Blossom Sweet Clover 
offered was the annual and in such cases Sweet 
Clover undoubtedly got a setback, for the annual is 
not to be recommended, and it is essential that the 
correct species be used if you desire success. 



— 18 



Chapter IV 

TiMB OF sb:bding 

This is a question which might have several an- 
swers and all be correct, for in different parts of 
the country a different time might be best suited. 
So it is with any given rule. There are exceptions, 
but going back to nature we find the seed is left on 
the ground in the fall, and it germinates for the 
most part in the spring, there being an occasional 
plant started in the fall. Spring seeding, generally 
speaking, has given excellent results and is consid- 
ered the correct time for sowing. 

The best time in the spring for sowing depends 
somewhat upon how the crop is to be handled and 
whether it is to be sowed with or without a nurse 
crop. When using a nurse crop it should be sowed 
early in the spring at the time that Oats and Bar- 
ley are sown, and the earliest varieties of small grain 
make the best nurse crop. One of the greatest mis- 
takes in seeding grass seed of all kinds with a nurse 
crop is using too much seed and trying to raise a full 
crop of grain. The grain should be considered as a 
secondary crop and the grass seeding, no matter of 
what kind, should be considered first, for it is the 
most important. It is mere folly to smother out your 
seeding of Clover, Alfalfa or Sweet Clover by sow- 
ing three or four bushels of Oats per acre, endeav- 
oring to raise a bumper crop of Oats, as well as su- 
curing a stand of grass. The talented editor of 
Wallace's Farmer, Uncle Henry Wallace, in making 
a short talk in regard to the methods of seeding, 

— 19 — 



stated that this was the greatest cause of not obtain- 
ing a stand and that in his long experience of seed^; 
ing, when a proper amount of grain seed had beeni 
used, he only knew of two or possibly three failures^ 
these being due to the extreme dry season. 

Now, when using Oats as a nurse crop, it is; 
best to select the earliest varieties and sow not over 
one and one-half bushels per acre. One reason for 
recommending an extremely early variety of Oats 
when sowing Sweet Clover, is on account of Sweet 
Clover being a very rapid grower and by harvest 
time it will be up ten or twelve inches and will 
gather in the butts of the bundle, unless the stubble 
is left quite high to avoid it. 

Sweet Clover is also sowed in the spring, with- 
out a nurse crop, by preparing the soil and sowing 
in the same manner as Alfalfa or Common Clover. 
There is no particular advantage in sowing without 
a nurse crop, for the plant will make about as much 
growth with a nurse crop and except in the South 
you cannot secure more than one crop the first sea- 
son. The plant will continue to grow throughout 
the entire season and can be pastured in the fall, or 
a hay crop may be cut the latter part of September 
or the first part of October. By using a nurse crop 
you can accomplish practically the same results, 
besides harvesting a fair crop of small grain, but al- 
ways remember not to become too greedy and sow 
too much small grainn, for the main crop might be 
lost by doing so. 

Fall seeding is desirable in some sections, but for 
the most part the writer does not recommend it, for 
it has some disadvantages, and throughout the corn 
belt spring seeding undoubtedly will prove far more 
satisfactory. When seeding in the fall the seed 
should be sown the latter part of July or the first of 

— 20 — 



August on ground that has been well prepared and 
, good seed bed obtained. Sweet Clover when seeded 
n the fall does not make enough root development to 
tart off properly in the spring and the growth of 
he plant is reduced somewhat. This disadvantage 
^ill prevent fall seeding being very popular, and, 
,gain, it is not best to cut a hay crop late in the 
ollowing fall, although it may be pastured lightly, 
lut not close to the ground. In the Southern States 
all seeding is more popular than in the North, but 
n the corn belt and Eastern States spring seeding 
3 preferable. 



21-^ 



Chapter V 

PREPARATION AND AMOUNT 
TO SOW 

Those who are famihar with growing Alfalfa 
should not have much trouble in starting Sweet 
Clover if they remember that the plants are very 
similar. The main thing is a well prepared seed 
bed which is firm and solid (and there is little dan- 
ger of getting the ground too firm or solid), for the 
firmer the better stand will be secured. All the loose 
soil required is enough to enable you to thoroughly 
cover the seed. Sweet Clover has failed quite fre- 
quently when sowed on a cultivated field, and failure 
was due in all probability to not having a compact 
seed bed. The fact that it requires a solid seed bed 
is further demonstrated by its growing successfully 
on hillsides where nearly all the soil has been 
washed away and on the roadsides where the ground 
has been tramped and is very solid. It is very es- 
sential that a solid seed bed be prepared, but good 
results have been obtained by seeding in the same 
manner as Common Clover. It sometimes is sowed 
in Winter Wheat early in the spring without any fur- 
ther preparation and a good stand is obtained. 

Sweet Clover does well following a corn crop 
when sowed in the spring, and works in to good ad- 
vantage for rotation. The ground can be properly 
prepared by disking and harrowing, and by either 
seeding broadcast or by drilling fifteen to twenty 
pounds of seed to the acre there should be no trouble 
in obtaining a stand. It may also be sowed with a 

— 22 — 



nurse crop without any further preparation than 
what you give to seeding of the small grain. If you 
use a drill in sowing your small grain and it has a 
seed attachment you could drill in the Sweet Clover, 
although fully as good results may be obtained by 
sowing broadcast. Land which has been fall plowed 
would not be so desirable for spring seeding as stock 
land, for the soil would not be solid enough to in- 
sure success. 

For the best results Clover sod no doubt would 
prove the most successful. By fall plowing Clover 
sod and disking the same as preparing for a corn 
crop and getting the ground in good condition for 
early seeding there is no reason why a very heavy 
crop of Sweet Clover could not be grown. On such 
land it might be well to sow without a nurse crop 
if you were very desirous of getting all you could 
out of the Sweet Clover crop, for it will make a lit- 
tle faster and heavier growth when sowed alone 
and by fall you would get quite a heavy hay crop. 

The preparation of the seed bed for fall seed- 
ing is more difficult than spring seeding and should 
be handled in about the same way as Alfalfa. It 
would require plowing several months before seed- 
ing and much surface cultivation, forming a com- 
pact seed bed with a mulch on top to cover the seed. 
If you wish to seed Sweet Clover in the fall fol- 
lowing a small grain crop it is difficult to get the 
grain off in time so as to plow and work down a 
solid seed bed, and in such cases better results may 
be obtained by simply disking the stubble and get- 
ting enough loose soil to properly cover the seed. It 
is not practical to plow the ground early in the sea- 
son and work it until the first of August, in order to 
sow Sweet Clover; nor is it necessary, for spring 
seeding would be more desirable, and there is 

— 23 — 



very little to be gained by waiting until fall, and if 
it is possible to sow in the spring it should be done 
at that time. 

The amount of seed required for an acre varies 
according to what is desired from the crop; also 
upon the germination test of the seed. One rec- 
ognized authority on Sweet Clover says: "The 
amount of seed required per acre depends whether 
sown for hay, pasture, green manure, or for restor- 
ing worn or waste lands. On account of it stooling 
out so heavily, a medium stand the first year will 
become a thick stand the second, when it comes 
from the roots, and a heavy stand the first year will 
be entirely too thick the second year to obtain a nor- 
mal growth and development of the plant. For hay 
a bushel will sow three acres; for green manure a 
bushel will sow two acres, if to be plowed under 
the first year and three acres if to be plowed under 
after the second yearns growth." 

In testing Sweet Clover it is ofttimes found 
that there is a large per cent of hard seed which 
will not germinate until the second year, and some- 
times not until the third season. Southern seed is 
found to contain a larger per cent of hard seed than 
any other, and the imported seed the smallest per 
cent. This may be partly due to most foreign seed 
being one year old or due to other conditions. Ten 
pounds of seed would be a great sufficiency for one 
acre if it would all grow. It is necessary to count 
on part of it not germinating at least the first sea- 
son, and fifteen to twenty pounds of hulled seed is 
found to be about the correct amount, although 
some writers recommend as much as twenty to 
thirty pounds to the acre. Ground which is 
adapted to growing Sweet Clover, or which is thor- 
oughly inoculated undoubtedly would require less 

— 24 — 



seed. If unhulled seed is used it requires about 
five pounds more seed per acre. The experience 
of the writer has been that hulled seed gives the 
best results and it is more desirable. 

The complaint of seed not germinating prop- 
erly is a point which is fully covered by the Farm- 
ers' Bulletin and a remedy given which is of great 
interest and is herewith given in full: "A lesser 
weight of seed would be sufficient were it not for 
the fact that often one-half of the seed has such 
hard seed coats that it does not germinate the first 
season and therefore is practically useless. This 
retarded germination of the hard seed can be over- 
come by soaking the seed in commercial concen- 
trated sulphuric acid for half an hour. It should 
then be quickly washed, using running water, if 
possible, as sulphuric acid becomes very hot when 
mixed with a small proportion of water. A great 
deal of water is therefore necessary in order to les- 
sen the danger of burning. The seed should then 
be dried off quickly by spreading it out on a floor 
or canvas and stirring at intervals. 

The acid corrodes or eats away the hard, im- 
permeable seed coat sufficiently to enable the seed 
to absorb enough moisture to germinate. This 
method has been investigated by Prof. H. L. Bolley 
of the North Dakota Agricultural Experimental 
Station. Tests made in the Department of Agri- 
culture gave an increase in germination of 40 to 
to 45 per cent. Great care must be exercised when 
working with sulphuric acid, as it burns the flesh 
and any wooden objects badly, and is especially dan- 
gerous to have around in the presence of children. 
The vessels used for treating the seed should be of 
earthen or enameled ware to prevent corrosion by 
the acid. After the seed is treated it should be 

— 25 — 



preferably sown promptly, as it has a tendency to 
dry out after the coat has been eaten off by the 
acid, but it can be held for two weeks or a month 
under favorable conditions without any considerable 
deterioration. This method is still in the experi- 
mental state, and many details presumably remain 
to be worked out in actual practice. The imported 
seed is always hulled, while that grown in this coun- 
try may not be hulled, owing to the fact that it is 
often gathered by hand locally and usually in a quan- 
tity too small to make it practicable to have it run 
through a huller. When starting a permanent pas- 
ture it is best to seed two years in succession at 
first, in order that there may be a number of 1-year- 
old plants ready to take the place of the 2-year-old 
plants, which mature seed and die. 

Hard seed is present in nearly every sample, 
but is more abundant in southern-grown than in 
northern-grown seed. In commercial samples the 
proportion sometimes runs as high as 90 per cent, the 
lesser proportion in imported seed than in either the 
native northern or southern-grown seed is possibly 
due to the fact that much of the imported seed is 
more than one year old. Table 1 shows the per- 
centages of hard seed found in samples of Sweet 
Clover from different sources. 

Table 1. Percentag-es of hard seed found in Sweet Clover, 
from different sources. 



Source of Seed 


No. of 
Samples 


Average Per Cent. 




Germination 


Hard Seed 




60 
48 
12 


22 
22 

28 


14 


Northern 


37 


Imported 


56 



26 



Chapter VI 

INOCUI^ATION AND FERTIW^ATION 

All lepfuminous plants require inoculation to 
insure the best growth. However, this does not 
mean that it is always necessary to inoculate the 
soil before seeding, but quite the contrary, for in 
most cases the soil already is sufficiently inocu- 
lated so as to produce satisfactory results. Where 
you already find Sweet Clover growing along the 
roadside in all probability the fields nearby are in- 
oculated, so that the plant will grow successfully. 
In sections where Clover and Alfalfa grow success- 
fully you can assume that Sweet Clover would grow 
without any further inoculation. Alfalfa and Sweet 
Clover require the same bacteria, so that Alfalfa 
land is properly inoculated for Sweet Clover and 
vice versa. Sweet Clover is now often used for the 
inoculation of fields, preparatory to sowing Alfalfa. 
And where Alfalfa will not grow successfully Sweet 
Clover is a splendid crop to grow to inoculate for 
Alfalfa, as it not only inoculates the soil, but has a 
large tap root, which makes a vigorous growth, and 
has a tendency to break up the compact sub-soil 
which in many cases is the cause of Alfalfa not do- 
ing well, and thus making it dwindle and die out af- 
ter the first or second year. 

There are two ways of inoculation, one known 
as the soil-transfer method, and the other the pure- 
culture methed. The inoculation by soil-transfer 
method is the most commonly practiced, and also is 
the most satisfactory. This method is very simple 

— 27 — 



and it is not difficult to follow, although it is a lit- 
tle more laborious and there is one objection which 
should not be forgotten, and that is to get soil which 
is free from noxious weeds, insect or plant enemies, 
for you might introduce some pest on your land 
w^hich would be hard to exterminate. 

In order to inoculate by the soil-transfer 
method it is necessary to secure soil from a good, 
healthy Sw^et Clover field or from the roadside 
where it may be found growing, or from an Alfalfa 
field. It requires about 200 to 300 pounds of soil to 
the acre, which should be scattered over the field 
just before seeding, and after the soil is scattered it 
should be immediately covered by harrowing, for 
the sun's rays will kill the bacteria germ if left ex- 
posed for any length of time. The soil if fine can 
be sowed broadcast by hand, or with an end-gate 
seeder, or it may be put on the ground with a ma- 
nure spreader. Another way w^hich might be very 
practical is to fasten a long narrow box on the front 
of the harrow^ with a slat bottom, leaving openings 
sufficiently large so that the soil may sscatter out, 
thus distributing the soil and harrowing it in at the 
same operation. The soil could also be put in the 
field with a drill that has a fertilizer attachment. 
It is also suggested that it would be a good plan to 
take a small portion of the soil and mix with the 
seed at time of sowing, but this is not necessary if 
the soil has been well distributed before seeding. 

If it is difficult to obtain soil and it cannot be 
procured to advantage, except in small quantities, 
this plan may be followed : Take equal parts of seed 
and soil and dampen the seed and scatter it out on a 
smooth surface and scatter the soil over the seed by 
sifting and the dampened seed will catch the soil and 

— 28 — 



as soon as the seed has dried sufficiently to sow it 
should be seeded. 

The pure-culture method is more easily done, 
but is not as sure as the soil-transfer method, al- 
though it has the advantage of preventing the intro- 
duction of harmful weeds or pest on the farm. The 
culture is manufactured at different places and can 
be secured from nearly all seedsmen, and full direc- 
tions are given with each bottle or package. The 
culture comes in a liquid form generally, and when 
using it dilute the culture with a sufficient quantity 
of water and then mix thoroughly with good, clean 
soil, which may be taken from the field you intend to 
sow and the treated soil is handled in the same 
manner as when inoculation is made by the soil 
transfer method. Culture is also used in inoculat- 
ing the seed where no soil is used. The culture is 
prepared according to directions given with it, and 
the seed is moistened with the culture, so that each 
seed is affected, but care should be used not to soak 
the seed. As soon as the seed is sufficiently dry 
for handling it should be planted. You should not 
wait any great length of time, for the nodule bac- 
teria will soon die. Seed which has been treated 
should never be exposed to the rays of the sun when 
drying. 

The matter of fertilizing the soil before sowing 
Sweet Clover is a point of little importance, for it 
has already been found that it will grow on the poor- 
est soil; also on the limestone hills and quarries, in 
the sand and clay, but like Alfalfa in this respect it 
will make its best growth on good, rich soil and 
when it has access to plenty of moisture. The fact 
that Sweet Clover is such an excellent fertilizer in 
itself there is little need of applying any commercial 
fertilizer. It would be far better to grow Sweet 

— 29 — 



Clover on the thin, worn-out land and build it up 
with the plant and then apply the fertilizer on the 
soil in connection with the crop which is to be 
grown following the Sweet Clover. Just what fer- 
tilizer would be best to use in connection with Sweet 
Clover is hard to say, for there have been but very 
few tests along this line. It, however, is necessary 
to have some lime in the soil to grow it successfully, 
although it is growing on soil which is very deficient 
in lime and does not contain sufficient to grow other 
crops to advantage. If you wish to grow Sweet 
Clover on soil which has been depleted of lime, or in 
fact worn out, not cropped out, for in this case it is 
a matter of restoring nitrogen, which the plant itself 
will do, but if depleted of lime it would be well to 
use lime as a fertilizer, the quantity depending upon 
the soil. 

The matter of fertilizing is little kown to the 
western farmers, for the rich soil in the Mississippi 
and Missouri valleys has produced such excellent 
crops and has withstood constant farming, so that 
they do not feel the need of fertilizer. However, 
with the Eastern and Southern farmers it is differ- 
ent, for they contemplate the use of fertilizer with 
nearly all crops. Sweet Clover will be a great boon 
to them in this respect, for they will be able to build 
up their land cheaply and at the same time harvest 
large, paying crops, which will add wealth to the 
country. 



30 — 



Chapter VII 

VAI,UE AS A HAY CROP 

Sweet Clover may be utilized as a hay crop, for 
it makes a valuable feed for all kinds of stock, and 
as it is a heavy producer it will prove a splendid for- 
age crop for this purpose. In the North, where 
Sweet Clover is seeded in the spring, you can make 
one cutting of hay about the first of October. The 
first year it will make a growth from twenty to thir- 
ty inches, and as it does not seed the first year it will 
make a very heavy growth of from twenty to thirty 
leaves, and it also makes an unusual root develop- 
ment, sending the tap root down as much as four 
feet. In this root it stores a large amount of reserve 
food material and makes a very vigorous growth the 
following season. 

In the South, where the seasons are longer, two 
cuttings can be made the first year, but in most 
parts of the country only one cutting is expected. 
In the Northern States the first crop is cut at about 
the time we begin to have frost, and a slight frost 
will do no damage to the quality of the hay. When 
mowing in the fall it can be cut close to the ground, 
with no bad effects, for it will not winter kill and 
will come forth early in the spring and start with a 
rapid growth. 

The hay should be cut when there is no dew on 
the plant, for the plant is of a succulent nature and 
is rather difficult to cure. It is considered a little 
harder to cure than either Clover or Alfalfa, and 
care must be used in properly curing the plant if 

— 31 — 



the most is to be gotten out of it for feeding. The 
best way to cure after cutting and allowing it to 
wilt is to rake it into large windrows and allow it to 
cure in the windrow, but if in doubt about the ad- 
visability of leaving in the windrow more than a 
day it may be put into shocks and allowed to stand 
until properly cured for stacking or putting in the 
barn. It would be well to put it into small shocks, 
so that when loading them on the wagon they could 
be lifted intact by the pitchers. 

It is not difficult to cure Sweet Clover in the 
shock and if the weather is unsettled it may be cut 
in the morning, after the dew is gone, and put in 
the shock the same day. If the shocks are well built 
it will turn water very nicely, and little damage will 
be done. Sweet Clover may be cut and allowed to 
remain in the swath until the second day, but care 
must be used in handling it, that it does not get too 
dry and lose the leaves, for they are the most val- 
uable part for feed. It is always best to properly 
cure hay before stacking or putting in the barn, for 
if put in too green there is danger of moulding or 
spontaneous combustion. Fires of this nature are' 
quite common with Clover and Alfalfa, and while 
the writer does not recall any instances of this com- 
plaint in regard to Sweet Clover it no doubt would 
happen if many barns were filled with it in the green 
stage. 

The second year the hay crop is handled in 
about the same way, with the exception of cutting. 
Sweet Clover has been condemned on account of not 
knowing how to properly handle it. The hay crop 
could easily be ruined by allowing it to grow too 
long, for soon after it blooms the stem becomes very 
hard and woody and is of little value for feed. It is 
just as necessary to understand Sweet Clover and 

— 32 — 



know its habits, if a success is to be made in grow- 
ing it, as it is necessary to know how to handle any 
other crop. Anyone will admit that the wheat crop 
in many states could be lost if allowed to stand un- 
til it has shattered before cutting. The same thing 
is true with Sweet Clover. When grown by the in- 
experienced it has been allowed to stand until it 
bloomed and become a hard, bushy plant of little 
feed value. 

The plant should be cut the second year, at the 
time it begins to form bloom buds, probably about 
the middle of June in this latitude. A very import- 
ant point about cutting Sweet Clover at this time is 
not to cut it close, or it will die out, and that will be 
the end of the crop. The fact that it is a biennial 
should always be kept in mind. It is necessary to 
cut it quite high, so as to leave some of the branches 
and leaves, for then it will start up and make a sec- 
ond crop, which can be again cut for hay or allowed 
to stand and make seed. However, in either case, 
this ends the plant, and it is necessary to reseed the 
ground if you wish to continue growing Sweet Clover 
on the same land. The binder is often used in cut- 
ting Sweet Clover, so as not to cut it too low, and 
when binding it should be bound in small bundles, 
which may be put into small shocks of three or four 
bundles each, and there remain until properly cured. 
It will not take long for the bundles to cure, and it 
then may be stacked the same as oats or any other 
grain. Care should be used in handling, so as to re- 
tain all the leaf possible, for it is the most valuable 
part of the hay. The second crop is sometimes pas- 
tured lightly, so as to allow part of it to go to seed, 
and in this way the crop will come on the following 
year from the seed which has been left on the 
ground. 

— 33 — 



There is a wide range when it comes to the 
quantity of hay that may be produced from an acre, 
for this varies in different sections and depends 
quite largely upon weather conditions and fertility 
of the soil the same as any other crop. The first 
year the yield runs from one to two tons per acre 
of cured hay and the second year the yield will be 
more, averaging from two to three tons per acre. 
There are some instances where it has made much 
larger yields, and if the soil is fertile and there is 
sufficient moisture a heavier yield may be ex- 
pected. When tested at the Utah Experiment Sta- 
tion it made more than double the yield of any of 
the clovers or grasses with which it was compared. 

The value of Sweet Clover hay is appreciated 
when it is found by analysis that it contains more 
digestible protein than Alfalfa hay and it is 
claimed that a ton of Alfalfa hay is equal to a ton 
of bran in feeding value ; so this puts Sweet Clover 
at the head of the list when it comes to the real 
value of its hay. 

The chief complaint that is heard in connec- 
tion with feeding Sweet Clover is that stock refuse 
to eat it. This is true to a certain extent, but is 
very easily overcome, and no one need be afraid 
that their stock is any exception and they will not 
eat it, for it is only a matter of getting accustomed 
to it, and after they once form a taste for the hay 
it will be difficult to keep them from it. Sweet 
Clover has a bitter taste, due to cumarin, which at 
first causes animals to refuse to eat it, but it should 
be remembered that range horses that have never 
seen corn refuse to eat it, but are just as fond of it 
as the native horses after once accustomed to it. 
Stock are not much different from people in this 
respect, for the writer has the first person to see 

— 34 — 



that likes olives when first tasted, but as a rule 
most people develop a taste for them. Now, do 
not gather from this comparison that Sweet Clover 
is as objectionable in taste to stock as olives are 
to the average person, for such is not the case, for 
all Kinds of stock, without exception, learn to eat 
Sweet Clover and prefer it to other seed. (A 
farmer here in Nevada told me that stock would 
leave the Alfalfa and brouse on the dry Sweet 
Clover that grows here uncultivated and very lux- 
uriantly. E. M. S.) Here is an extract taken 
from the Farmers^ Bulletin on this question: 
''Shippers of cattle from the arid sections of the 
west, wher^ corn is unknown, often have difficulty 
in getting the stock to eat fodder or even corn. 
The specific instance has come under observation 
where the cattle were fed corn with the dried husks 
attached whereupon they ate off the husks and left 
the corn uneaten. When these same cattle were 
turned on the green grass the following season in- 
stead of eating the new growth they contented 
themselves with browsing off the dead stalks of 
the preceding season's growth, which presumably 
more closely resembled the desert grasses to which 
they were accustomed." 

When cow peas were first tested out this same 
question of stock eating it came up. It was the 
belief that stock would not eat it, but it was soon 
found that such was a mistake. It has also been 
proven that stock will eat Sweet Clover, and that 
it is one of the most valuable of the forage crops to 
the stock grower. 

Sweet Clover hay is valued very highly by the 
dairymen, and they find it makes splendid feed for 
dairying purposes. The results where it has been 
tested out are very flattering, and it has been 

— 35 — 



found that the cattle would leave Red Clover haj 
to eat Sweet Clover. When fed to milch cows i1; 
had a tendency to increase the flow of milk, and th€< 
cows kept in the best of condition. It gives the 
milk no unpleasant taste and it is considered an 
ideal feed for the dairyman, for it contains a large 
amount of protein and can be produced more 
cheaply than it can be secured in any other way. 

It also makes splendid hay for horses and is 
much more desirable than Clover hay and is fully 
equal to Alfalfa hay, and they will eat it just as 
readily after having been accustomed to it. Sweet 
Clover hay is recommended very highly for sheep 
and young stock of all kinds, and there is no bad 
effect due to feeding, but on the other hand it keeps 
stock in good condition and should be considered 
the greatest feed obtainable. 

There is little difficulty experienced in getting 
stock to eat Sweet Clover hay when properly cured, 
but should they refuse to eat it when hungry you 
can overcome this very easily by sprinkling some 
brine on the hay at about the time they are due to 
be salted, and this will start them eating it and you 
will not be required to repeat this operation very 
often. 



— 36 — 



Chapter VIII 

VALUE AS A PASTURE 

When Sweet Clover is desired for pasture pur- 
poses it is seeded in practically the same manner as 
for hay, with the exception that more seed is re- 
quired, in order to obtain a heavy stand. On ac- 
count of the plant being a biennial it is also neces- 
sary to seed the^ ground the following spring with 
about half as much seed as was used in the first 
seeding. A disk drill can be used to advantage seed- 
ing this time, or the land may be disked and after 
the seed is sowed slightly harrowed or dragged. 
The disking and dragging will not injure the crop 
already on the ground, and by handling in this man- 
ner you should have a permanent pasture, if not pas- 
tured too close, for there will be enough go to seed 
each year to reseed itself and have a continuous 
stand. 

Vvhen seeded for pasture Sweet Clover is gen- 
erally seeded without a nurse crop, for then you 
can turn the stock on it just as soon as it gets up 
four or five inches high. It is best to turn the stock 
upon it while young, for it contains less cumarin 
and they will learn to eat it without difficulty. It is 
also well to pasture it, for it causes more shoots to 
start up, making much better pasture than to allow 
it to grow up coarse and become woody. The first 
season it is not necessary to allow it to grow up, for 
it may be pastured close to the ground, as it will not 
be damaged and will come on again very early in 
the spring. One of the great advantages of Sweet 

--37 — 



Clover as a pasture is the fact of its coming on ear- 
lier in the spring than any other grass, with the 
possible exception of Alfalfa, and in two weeks' time ; 
on account of its more rapid growth it is even ahead 
of Alfalfa, The easiest way to have stock become 
accustomed to eating Sweet Clover is by turning 
then on to the pasture early in the spring before 
other green grass has started. By doing this they 
form an appetite for the plant, eating it with great 
relish, and you will have no further trouble along 
this line. 

Sweet Clover pasture is adapted to all kinds of 
stock; horses, cattle, sheep, hogs and chickens do 
equally well on it. It is better to keep enough 
stock on the pasture to eat it off closely enough so 
as to cause it to form an abundance of new shooots, 
as you will get more feed off the pasture and stock 
will relish the tender plants much more. But you 
must remember the second year it is necessary to let 
it grow up enough in the fall, so as to form seed and 
re-seeded itself. It can be pastured lightly through 
August and September, but if no seed is allowed to 
form it will not continue long as a pasture. 

There are two great advantages of Sweet Clover 
as a pasture, and that is it comes on earlier than 
other green feed and it does not cause bloating of 
stock as do Clover and Alfalfa. This is due to the 
cumarin, the bitter principle which the plant pos- 
sesses, which is of great importance to the stock 
raiser. Cumarin has been used by druggists and 
physicians for thousands of years as a corrective, 
tonic and curative for intestinal disorders, and on 
this account it is considered extra fine for pasture, as 
stock keep in the best of health and condition when 
pasturing en it. Stock make great gains on Sweet 
Clover pasture. It is fully equal to either Clover or 

— 38 — 



Alfalfa. Another advantage of Sweet Clover is that 
it will 'grow on soil that would not grow other 
grasses sufficiently to secure much feed. But Sweet 
Clover will make a good growth on poor soil, afford- 
ing the best pasture for all kinds of stock and at the 
same time add humus to the soil, building it up and 
fertilizing it to such an extent that other crops may 
be grown successfully when ready to rotate crops. 
Sweet Clover is to be recommended to the sheep 
grower, especially of the West, for this plant will 
grow on thin, barren waste land, enduring the hot, 
dry summers, and will make a great amount of the 
best green feed. By careful experiments it has been 
found that she^p make great gains when allowed to 
graze upon it, there being no feed better adapted to 
them. 

Sweet Clover is also excellent for hog pasture, 
as it is more hardy than Alfalfa, easier to secure a 
stand and will stand more abuse. Close pasturing 
the first season will do it no harm, and it will come 
on so very early the second season, making such ex- 
cellent feed that it is a very paying crop, even if you 
do not care to continue the pasture as a permanent 
meadow. You can either re-seed the pasture or al- 
low it to make sufficient growth so as to re-seed it- 
self. No land will bring larger returns to the hog 
raiser than Sweet Clover, for it is a protein pro- 
ducer — just what the stock grower is looking for. 

Another way it can be used to good advantage 
as a pasture crop, especially for hogs, is by having 
the field divided and seeding both fields the first 
year and the second year re-seed one of the fields, 
so that they will alternate. By turning off one field 
early, so as to allow it to make growth sufficiently 
to re-seed itself, the other field can be pastured until 
late. The next fall reverse the order and allow it to 

— 39 — 



re-seed itself and the former field may be pastured 
late, and thus alternate the field and have late pas- 
ture as well as early. If desired one field may be 
turned off early enough to allow it to make a seed 
crop and generally in harvesting a seed crop there 
is enough seed that will shatter out so as to re-seed 
itself. Then stock may be turned in on the field in 
the fall, as the tramping will put the seed in the 
ground, so that it will make a good crop the follow- 
ing year. There is a decided place for Sweet Clover 
as a pasture and the worth of it in this respect will 
be appreciated more when the plant is better under- 
stoood and the method of handling it worked out so 
as to overcome any objections which might be offered 
at the present time. 



— 40 — 



Chapter IX 

SCIENTIFIC FBED VAI.UB 

There is considerable discussion as to the value 
)f Sweet Clover as a feed, and this point can only be 
settled to the individual by giving it careful tests 
md feeding it in comparison with other feeds and 
^atch results. The present growers of Sweet Clover 
are very enthusiastic and the agricultural writers 
cannot praise the plant too highly. In this connec- 
tion it is our desire to give what the government has 
bo say, and a report is here given as contained in 
Farmers' Bulletin 485: ''In common with other 
legumes Sweet Clover contains a relatively high per- 
centage of protein, thus making it a source of this 
valuable constituent of farm feeds. Tables 2 and 3 
show the relative composition of several different 
iinds of feed. 



Table 2. Average percentage composition of Sweet Clover 
and other forage feeds and value of same per ton. 



Kind of Forage 


1! 

o 


•-r 


< 


n 
"S 

1 


hi 

1 


o " 


1 

SI 


Fresh Sweet Clover 

Fresh Alfalfa 


7 
23 
43 

6 
21 
38 
68 

8 


77.0 
71.8 
70.8 
7.7 
8.4 
15.3 
13.2 
10.7 


1.8 
2.7 
2.1 
7.5 
7.4 
6.2 
4.4 
7.5 


3.9 
4.8 
4.4 
13.3 
14.3 
12.3 
5.9 
16.6 


6.9 
7.4 
8.1 
26.9 
26.0 
24 8 
29.0 
20.1 


9.4 
12.3 
13.5 
42.6 
42.7 
38.1 
45.0 
42.2 


0.6 
1.0 


FreBh Red Clover 


1.1 




2.1 


A.lfalfa hay 


2.2 


Red Clover hay 


3.3 


rimothy hay 


2 6 


Dow Pea hay 


2.2 



— 41 — 



Table 3. Dig-estible nutrients in Sweet Clover and other 
forag-e crops and feeds and value of same per ton. 



Kinds of Forage 
OR Fked 



Sweet Clover Hay 

Alfalfa Hay 

Red Clover Hay.. 

Timothy Hay 

Cow Pea Hay. .. 

Wheat Bran. 

Shelled Corn 





Digestible ^ 


UTRIENTS IN 


Dry 
Matter 


100 Pounds 


in 1< 








pounds 


Protein. 


Carbo- 


Ether 




hydrates 


Extract 


Pounds 


Pounds 


Pounds 


Pounds 


92.4 


99 


38.1 


1.2 


91.6 


11. 


39 


6 


1.2 


84.7 


68 


35 


8 


1.7 


86.8 


2.6 


43 


4 


1.4 


89.3 


10.8 


38 


6 


1.1 


88.1 


12.2 


39 


2 


2.7 


89 1 


7.9 


66 


7 


4.3 



"Value 

per ton 

Feed 



$18 49 
20.16 
14 12 
9.80 
19 76 
22.80 
20.16 



The values per pound assigned as the basis of 
calculation of the value of the digestible nutrients 
in a ton of the feed as given in table 3 are protein, 
$0.0674 ; carbohydrates ( starch, etc. ) , $0.0064 ; 
ether extract (fats), $0.0112. These figures are 
merely relative, as the prices of the food elements 
vary in different sections of the country and from 
year to year. It will be noted that the value of 
Sweet Clover hay on the above basis would be al- 
most double that of timothy and intermediate be- 
tween red clover and alfalfa, and that the actual 
market prices of the different feeds bear little re- 
lation to their theoretical value. 

Feeding Experiments with Sweet 
Clover 

A great many farmers have reported success- 
ful experiments in feeding Sweet Clover to live 
stock, but relatively few of the experimental sta- 
tions have performed definite feeding experiments 
to determine the exact value of Sweet Clover hay 
as compared with other crops. The Wyoming Ex- 
periment Station, however, performed an interest- 
ing experiment with lambs. A number of pens of 

— 42 — 



from ten to forty lambs each were fed different 
mixtures of feeds for fourteen weeks. Those re- 
ceiving Sweet Clover hay, corn and a small amount 
of oil meal made an average gain of 30.7 pounds 
per head as compared with 20.3 pounds of those 
receiving native grass hay, oats and oil meal. Those 
receiving alfalfa and corn made a gain of 34.4 
pounds per head. The details of the experiment 
with four of the pens of lambs are given in table 4. 

Table 4. Showing results of feeding tests with lambs. 





II 


Average 
gain per 

head in lbs. 

for 14 weeks 


Pounds of Feed Required for 
' Pounds OF Gain 


"S ^ 


Ration 


Sweet 

Clover 

Hay 


Native 
Hay 


Alfalfa 
Hay 


Corn 


Oats 


in 

O a 


Sweet Clover, hay, 
corn, oil meal 

Native grass, hay, 
oats, oil meal 

Alfalfa hay, corn. 

Alfalfa hay. corn 


10 

40 
10 
40 


30.7 

20. 3 
34.4 
34.3 


637.5 






293. 2 


460.5 


20.5 


606.7 




25 


557 7 
557.3 



















The Sweet Clover hay used in this experiment 
was stated to be stemmy in its nature and more 
than a year old. It is of interest to know that in 
spite of its steminess the hay was eaten up close by 
the lambs. 

At the Iowa Agricultural College a grazing ex- 
periment with young shoats was made comparing 
Sweet Clover and Red Clover. The details of this 
experiment are shown in table 5. 



Table 5. Comparative results of pasturing 
Clover and Red Clover. 


pigs on Sweet 


Kind of Pasture 


Number of 

pigs per acre 

of pasture 


Daily gain 
per head 


Gain for 
entire lot 
per acre 


Grain required for 

100 pounds of 

gain (in addition 

to pasturage 


Sweet Clover 


18 
15 


Pounds 
1.02 
1.13 


Pounds 
2,594 
2.394 


Pounds 
838 
338 







— 43 



The results of these technical experiments are 
thoroughly substantiated by numerous private feed- 
ing tests in various sections of the country. Hun- 
dreds of fat cattle which have been fed almost ex- 
clusively on Sweet Clover hay as a roughage in cen- 
tral Utah are marketed annually. From certain 
sections of western Iowa steers have been turned off 
fat from Sweet Clover pasture and have brought 
$1.00 per hundred weight premium over the ordi- 
nary grass pastured stock marketed from the same 
locality. 

In a feeding experiment with sheep, conducted 
by two students at the Iowa Agricultural College, 
it was found that the protein digested in Sweet 
Clover fed alone was 69 per cent, and that the ad- 
dition of corn to the hay ration increased the di- 
gestibility of Sweet Clover to 82 per cent. (See 
table 6). Alfalfa and Red Clover showed similar 
increases in the digestibility of their protein con- 
tent when corn was added to the ration. The per- 
centage of digestibility figured for the protein in 
the corn was the average of a number of digestion 
experiments. The probability is that the digesti- 
bility of the corn was also increased by the pres- 
ence of the hay in the ration, so that not all the in- 
crease in the digestibility should be credited to 
the hay constituents of the different rations. 

Table 6. Comparative percentag'e digestible of protein and 
of dry matter in Sweet Clover, in Alfalfa and in Red Clover. 



RATION 
o,.,„.,^ i^. ^,r„o. j When fed alone 

AUbAUtA. ^ ^yj^^,,^ j^,^^ ^^.-^^ ^.^,j.y 

Kien Oi <WKR- ^ When fed alone 

— 44 



Percentage Digestible 



Protein. 


Dry Matter 


69 

8-2 


52 

74 


70 
83 


61 

75 


4t; 

61 


49 
61 



Chapter X 

VAI^UB AS A FERTII^IZER 

Sweet Clover undoubtedly has more commer- 
cial value as a soil restorative than in any other 
way. This is the great advantage of the plant, as 
it can be used in every state in the Union for this 
purpose, and thus replaces a -great amount of 
wealth which has already been taken from the soil. 

One great feature of Sweet Clover is that it 
grows on all kinds of soil and in all latitudes. While 
it is good for the Southern farmer it is equally as 
good for the Northern farmer, and while it adds 
great wealth to the Eastern farmer with his lime- 
stone hills and soil of an acid nature it is fully as 
good for the Western farmer, with his dry, barren 
wastes of sand and alkali. Taking the plant as a 
whole it has no comparison, as it is adapted to a 
wide range of conditions and will do well for every- 
one if he will only give it the opportunity. Cow 
Peas are good for the Southern farmer, but they 
cannot be gro^^Ti successfully in the North, as they 
are a Southern plant. Clover grows well in the east- 
ern half of the United States, but this is not true in 
the West. Alfalfa grows luxuriantly in the West, 
but not so well in the East. The Canada Field Pea 
is adapted to the North, but not to the South ; but in 
Sweet Clover we have a forage crop that grows not 
only successfully all over the United States, North to 
South, East and West, but is being grown to a 
greater or less extent all over the world. Undoubt- 
edly it will soon fill the place which was planned for 

— 45 — 



it when created by the Almighty, and it certainly 
was not intended to be classed as a weed when it is 
invaluable both as a feed and a fertilizer. 

In the East there are farms which have been 
abandoned on account of not being able to produce 
any crops sufficiently large to justify farming. This 
land lies idle, waiting for nature to replace the ele- 
ments which have been exhausted. In such cases 
where land has been completely worn out (not crop- 
ped out), and all the nitrogen and humus in the 
soil exhausted, as well as the lime or calcium, it is 
rather doubtful whether Sweet Clover alone can ever 
make good fertile soil; but on the limestone hills or 
on soil which contains plenty of lime and is not 
exhausted of its mineral wealth Sweet Clover will 
replace the nitrogen and humus and unquestionably 
will build up the land and reclaim the depleted fields 
which are of apparently little value in their present 
condition. This is where Sweet Clover will do its 
greatest good and will meet with a most hearty wel- 
come by all farmers. Not only in the East and 
South, but throughout the corn belt of the Western 
States as well, the farmers are beginning to real- 
ize that there is need of fertilizing their soil if the 
most is to be gained from tilling their fields. Clover 
has been the salvation of the farmer, but this crop is 
not doing all that could be desired. Oftentimes 
there has been much difficulty in obtaining a seed- 
ing, and thus on this account rotation of crops has 
been prevented. 

Sweet Clover works in splendidly as a rotation 
crop, being a biennial the same as Clover, but it is 
much easier to obtain a stand of it, for it will en- 
dure more drouth. The summer of 1911 was very 
dry, and in most cases Clover was killed by the con- 
tinuous dry weather after harvest, while Sweet 

— 46 — 



Clover withstood the drouth and made a very good 
growth, affording much fall pasture, and in some 
instances a hay crop was secured. Sweet Clover 
can be sowed in the spring with a nurse crop, and 
that season you will grow a crop of grain and one 
crop of Sweet Clover hay. The second year you can 
cut two crops for hay and plow under the stubble 
and stems, which add much humus to the soil, as 
well as replace the nitrogen. 

Where the land is very much run down the sec- 
ond crop can be plowed under as a green manure 
crop. This puts the soil in excellent shape for corn 
the following season. You can better appreciate 
Sweet Clover as a green manure crop when you 
compare it with Mammoth Clover. The Ontario 
Experimental Station reports having cut thirty tons 
of green Sweet Clover per acre, as compared with 
131/2 tons of Mammoth Clover, which was consid- 
ered next best for soiling. 

There have been numerous tests made show^- 
ing the value of Sweet Clover as a fertilizer, and it 
is considered superior in many ways to all others. 
At the Ohio Experimental Station a test was made 
on land which has been sowed to Sweet Clover and a 
similar field which was not, and the land which had 
been growing Sweet Clover produced 45 per cent 
more corn per acre. Similar tests have been made 
in other places, and it has been found that the same 
land will produce about 40 per cent more corn when 
it has been in Sweet Clover than when it has not. 

Sweet Clover always accomplishes good when 
growing on land, no matter what the nature of the 
soil. When growing on the thin limestone or grav- 
elly hill it is adding fertility to the soil. When it is 
growing on the clay hill, which has a very compact 
sub-soil, it not only adds fertility, but has a tendency 

_47_ 



to break up the hard sub-soil by its great root sys- 
tem and to open up the ground and establish humus 
below the surface. Thus the ground is in a better 
position to grow all kinds of crops, and especially Al- 
falfa, as its roots will not penetrate a hard sub-soil, 
and for this reason in many places it cannot be 
grown successfully. When Sweet Clover grows on 
land which is inclined to be wet or bottom land, com- 
monly known as gumbo, it also has a remedial effect. 
It has a tendency to open up the soil and let the 
water go down and dry out the land, which u very 
important. In the West it will grow on the soil 
which is strongly impregnated with Alkali, relieving 
it of that condition, so that after a crop or two of 
Sweet Clover has been grown on such soil some other 
field crop may be raised successfully. 

We find Sweet Clover being used most exten- 
tively as a fertilizer in the South and Alabama, Mis- 
sissippi and Kentucky are the only states growing 
it to any considerable degree as a field crop, although 
the demand is spreading and other states are tak- 
ing it up. The results are so apparent and satisfac- 
tory that it requires only a knowledge of their suc- 
cess to cause an unusual demand. It is reclaiming 
vast areas of old, worn-out land which has been 
cropped to death by continuous farming. One can- 
not speak too highly of its success. The experience 
of the Southern farmer in this regard is unques- 
tionable proof as to the value of the plant as a fer- 
tilizer. It is estimated that it produces as much ni- 
trogen and humus making material as is contained 
in twenty-five loads of average farm manure. 

Sweet Clover is growing in many places on 
lands which refuse to grow other leguminous plants, 
and this is the reason it is hailed with such delight. 
It is the Clover for all purposes, without any re- 

— 48 — 



strictions. To fully appreciate the worth of Sweet 
Clover as a fertilizer all that is required is to sow 
it on worn-out land and watch closely Jhe results. 
Here is an extract from the government bulletin: 
"As an instance of its effect on land it may be men- 
tioned that in Alabama on poor, run-down soil it 
produced 6,672 pounds of hay per acre the first year 
and 7,048 pounds the second year, after which the 
stubble was plowed under and planted to corn. The 
corn produced 22.7 bushels per acre, as compared 
with 16.2 bushels per acre upon an adjoinmg plat 
where Sweet Clover had not been grown. The vear 
following a similar experiment in the same section 
showed the com to have yielded 28.2 bushels on the 
Sweet Clover stubble land, as compared with 21.2 
bushels where cotton instef>d of Sweet Clovfr ryre- 
ceded the corn. A total of 11,376 oounds of hay had 
been cut from t>ie Sweet Clover plats durmg its two 
seasons of e*rowth." 

Sweet Clover has one more advanta<Te which is 
worthy of mention and should not be overlooked. It 
h?)s oroven itself a s^jlendid fertilizer. bTit it also 
holds the soil and prevents washing. Fields which 
have been washing and were fast becoming badly cut 
up by ditches and gullies have been saved by sow- 
ing v/ith Sweet Clover. By leaving the fields in 
Sweet Clover pasture or hay a few years washing 
was stopped and by a natural process fields have 
been reclaimed which would have become practically 
ruined by unsightly ditches and gullies. 



— 49 — 



Chapter XI 

VAI,UE AS A SBBD CROP 

In very few parts of the country is Sweet Clover 
.srrown for a seed crop, although at the present time 
it would be a very profitable crop, since there is an 
enormous demand for seed. The production of seed 
has been insufficient to supply the demand and at 
times it has been very difficult to obtain seed for 
sowins:. It is not a difficult task to grow the seed, 
and it will only be a short time until this part of the 
industry will be given more attention. 

In grov/ing Sweet Clover it is essential to select 
the proper species. The demand is largely for the 
White Blossom Sv/eet Clover, although there is some 
demand for the Yellow Blossom. Both are biennial 
plants, but care should be taken in not confusing the 
Laree Yellow Blossom with the small species known 
as Indian Sweet Clover, an annual, and not desir- 
able except possibly in a sub-tropical latitude. 

Sweet Clover is now orrown for seed in only a 
few localities, and we find the White Blossom being 
grown in Alabama, Mississinpi and Kentucky and to 
a limited extent in Utah. These states are now pro- 
ducing about all the seed that is offered on the mar- 
ket, but it need not be so, for it will grow and make 
seed in all states. The Sweet Clover found grow- 
ing along the roadsides in Iowa is very full of seed 
and would yield splendidly if harvested as a seed 
crop. At the present time the Yellow Blossom is 
grown principally in Kentucky and the small Yellow 

— 50 — 



A^nnual is grown mostly in southern California and 
possibly in 'a few of the other Western States. 

When growing Sweet Clover for seed it is better 
not to sow too thickly, for larger yields are obtained. 
The seed crop is produced the second year, and either 
the first or second crop may be harvested for seed, 
[t is the writer's experience that in the state of Iowa 
I larger seed crop may be secured from the first crop, 
but in harvesting it for seed there is also danger of 
killing the plant, for if it is well matured and not 
cut quite high the plant will die. However, in the 
South the second crop is in most cases utilized for 
3eed. 

Sweet Clover does not all ripen at the same time, 
for there will be matured seed on the plant while it 
is still blooming, and for this reason it is a little hard 
to always know just the proper time for cutting. It 
should not be allowed to get too ripe, for the seed is 
inclined to shatter, and it is best to cut while the 
dew is on or after a shower. In the South it is the 
common practice to place the Clover in piles and 
later flail out the seed with sticks on a canvas, but 
this mode of treatment leaves the hull on the seed, 
making it less desirable than the hulled seed. How- 
ever, the hull can be removed by running through a 
clover huller, and where a clover huller is availible it 
is best to use it in hulling the Sweet Clover, although 
the hay is a little coarse and difficult to run through 
a huller, but if there is not too much stem it can be 
hulled with a machine. The straw after it has been 
threshed may be returned to the field for for fertili- 
zation or it may be used as feed for stock. 

The yield of seed varies from five to fifteen 
bushels per acre, depending whether hulled or un- 
hulled. The seed should be well cleaned before be- 
ing put on the market, for there is always much inert 

— 51 — 



matter and shrunken seeds which should be removed,; 
for they are practically useless for seeding. The 
hulled seed is preferable and is generally demanded 
by most seedsmen. Thus in growing Sweet Clover 
for market it would be well to provide a huller, so 
that the most may be gotten out of the crop. The 
hulled seed gives better results when sowed, for it 
germinates more readily and often the unhulled seed 
will not germinate the first season, but remain in the 
ground until the second year. 

Since the plant is a prolific seed producer it is 
easy to see that there is 8*ood money in growing it 
for seed purposes. The market price varies, but of 
late years the White Blossom, hulled, has been selling 
from $15.00 to $20.00 Der hundredweight, being 
higher in price than Alfalfa. The Drice of the seed 
should be about the same as Alfalfa seed, but the 
mprkot w^'ll fluctuate from tim.e to t^'me, depending 
upon the quantity Droduced and the demand. 

From the testinor of samples it has been found 
that the northern seed is r>referable to the southern 
grown, s^'nr'e it is of strono'er vitality and o'erminates 
more readily. In the southern grown there is a 
larger per cent of hard seed which fail to germinate 
the first season. Considerable Sweet Clover seed 
has been imported and the foreiem seed gives very 
good results, showing a good per cent of germination 
and is adapted to our climate. One thrne necessary 
to watch when buying foreign seed of any kind is 
not to P"et some noxious weed and introduce some 
pest which might be very hard to eradicate. 

The Yellow Annual Sweet Clover is offered 
more freely on the market, as it is sort of a by-Dro- 
duct of the Western farmer. It is screened out of 
their grain and thus being produced very cheaply it 
is offered at much lower prices than either one of 

— 52 — 



the White or Yellow biennials. The Yellow Annual 
can be secured on the market for about $8.00 per 
liundredweight, and whenever the Yellow Blossom is 
Dffered at a low price it would be well to investigate 
before buying and ascertain whether it is the true 
biennial which is being offered you. The difference 
:an easily be distinguished, for the annual seed is 
rough, while the biennial is smooth when it is hulled. 



— 63 — 



Chapter XII 
WHERE TO OBTAIN SEED 

Sweet Clover seed may be obtained from most] 
any reputable seed company, although it is only of 
late years that seedsmen have begun to handle it in| 
quantities. It is very important for the buyer to 
know what species he wants and then see that he- 
gets it. Some seedsmen have not given Sweet Clo- 
ver the study it deserves and are not familiar with 
the different species and do not know the value of 
each, so are not in a position to give their customers 
proper information or furnish the variety best 
adapted to their requirements. If you write for 
prices on Yellow Blossom Sweet Clover see that you 
get a sample and a price on the biennial and not the 
annual, for as previously stated the annual has but 
little commercial value. If you write for prices on 
the White Blossom insist upon getting the hulled 
seed and also have prices quoted by the pound, for 
some of the Southern seedsmen offer it by the bush- 
el in the hull and furnish a measured bushel, Vv^hich 
varies from 28 to 34 pounds. The correct stand- 
ard weight per bushel should be on the 
basis of clean seed, and contain sixty pounds to the 
bushel, the same as Clovers and Alfalfa. It is best 
to secure the hulled seed when possible, for it germi- 
nates more readily and gives better satisfaction 
and the difficulty sometimes experienced in obtain- 
ing a stand will be avoided. 

The writer is familiar with a party who sowed 
thirty acres in Iowa and a good stand was obtained 

— 54 — 



on the twenty acres, which were sowed with the 
hulled seed, but the ten acres which were sowed with 
unhulled seed, secured from a Southern dealer, 
proved a failure. It is very essential that first-class 
seed be obtained if a good stand is to be expected. 

Since there is an unusual interest created and 
so many starting to grow Sweet Clover the seed 
proposition is one of special interest. Anyone wish- 
ing seed should make arrangements early in the sea- 
son, for, as a rule, seed can be bought to better 
advantage then and if purchasing is delayed until 
the time of sowing difficulty might be experienced in 
securing seed. Such has been the experience of late 
years, but it may be that this will soon be overcome 
by a large number harvesting seed. Sweet Clover is 
not expensive to buy, ranging in price with Alfalfa, 
and costs about the same to seed it. 



— 55 — 



Chapter^XIII 

ERADICATION 

With the many advantages credited to Sweet 
Clover there is another point which should be cov- 
ered — the eradication or extermination of the plant. 
It is claimed by some that Sweet Clover is hard to 
eradicate and trouble along this line is anticipated. 
The fact that Sweet Clover is a biennial plant is 
proof tiiat it should not be hard to eradicate, for if it 
IS not allowed to seed it cannot exist more than two 
years. 

In changing land from Sweet Clover to a culti- 
vated crop it would be well to follow with a corn 
crop, for by careful cultivation and not allowing any 
to go to seed it will not show up after the second 
year, except possibly an occasional plant which has 
come from hard seed that has remained in the 
ground. Two years of cultivation will practically 
remove ail trace of it, and no one need experience 
any serious diificulty along this line, as it is not 
considered hard to eradicate. 

Tile sod is not hara to break, being easily ac- 
complished with any plow that is sharp, so as to 
cut off tlie tap root. The sod is not of a tough na- 
ture, but on the other hand breaks up when plowed, 
making it easy to put in condition for a corn crop. 

The difficulty experienced in eradicating 
Sweet Clover along the roadside has been due to the 
fact that in many cases it was not cut until seed had 
ripened, and thus allowed to re-seed itself, or it was 
cut too high and the branches started up again and 

— 56 — 



made sufficient growth to produce seed. If Sweet 
Clover is cut low with a mower before it has been 
allowed to form seed the plant will die and cause 
no further trouble. This should be remembered, 
for if you are cutting it for hay and wish it to come 
again sufficient branches should be left so that it 
will start. 

Sweet Clover seldom ever enters the cultivated 
fields, and when it is growing in the fence rows it 
does not bother an adjoining cultivated field. It 
is much better to have Sweet Clover growing in 
waste places than any weed, for not only is it im- 
proving the soil, but is also preventing noxious 
weeds from gaining a foothold. 



— 57-- 



Chapter XIV 

CONCLUSION 

When writing about Sweet Clover in a general 
way there are bound to be some exceptions and 
differences of opinion. However, the writer does 
not expect everyone at present to agree as to the 
value of the plant, but time will impress upon all of 
us its real merits. As it becomes more generally 
grown and understood, regardless of the skeptic's 
opinion, who may condemn the plant, the fact re- 
mains that Sweet Clover is one of the great forage 
plants. It will not, however, do away with a sin- 
gle plant that we are now growing. There is al- 
ready a place for Sweet Clover on nearly every 
farm, since the crops we are now producing do not 
meet all the requirements. Thus we see the need 
is present and it is only a matter of Sweet Clover 
finding its place. 

Where Alfalfa can be grown to best advantage 
Sweet Clover will not appeal to the farmer in that 
particular section, while on the other hand to the 
many who have been unsuccessful in growing Al- 
falfa, Sweet Clover will find a welcome. The fact 
that Sweet Clover can be grown in all sections and 
on nearly all soils makes it stand without a peer 
as a utility crop, as it can be depended on to make 
good where other crops fail. 

Sweet Clover especially recommends itself to 
the dairy farmer, being very rich in protein, af- 
fording splendid pasture, and making the very best 
of hay that will rank alongside of Alfalfa. In 

— 58 — 



many sections it is almost impossible to get Alfalfa 
hay, ^s every dairyman knows ; therefore there is a 
great need for some other crop to take its place. To 
the Eastern dairyman it should find a very v^arm 
welcome, for it will not only put him on par with 
the Western farmer in producing feed, as the hills 
will grow the very best kind of crops and produce 
an abundance of feed, containing a high per cent of 
protein, just what he desires, and at the same time 
will also build up the land, so that it will bring him 
a two-fold income. 

The fact that the merits of Sweet Clover are 
not generally known makes it if no less value or im- 
portance. Nor is it so strange that the value of 
Sweet Clover is not known to the farmer of the 
United States, with all of his knowledge and ad- 
vancement in the agricultural pursuit, for he was 
practically as long in realizing that Alfalfa was the 
greatest forage crop that could be grown, although 
it had been grown for thousands of years in Asia 
and was a very popular crop in Europe for a great 
many centuries, while it did not gain widespread 
popularity in the United States until the twentieth 
century. Even in Old Mexico, where they have 
their ox carts and are very slow in adopting new 
ideas, they realized the value of Alfalfa and have 
grown it as a forage crop for over 200 years. It is 
to Mexico that we are indebted for introducing it in 
the United States, for it was first introduced into 
California, and from there it gradually worked east, 
in a roundabout way, until it finally penetrated to 
the grain and dairy districts of the Middle West. 
The mere fact that Alfalfa was not grown by the 
farmers in the United States made it of no less 
value. The same is true of Sweet Clover. The 
value of Sweet Clover will be realized when it has 

— 59 — 



been developed, the crop understood and it becomes 
more generally grown. It is adapted to a great va- 
riety of soil and will add much wealth in the way of 
feed and in enrichmg the soil, which is so much in 
need of something tnat can be used advantageously 
for rotation of crop. 

In many sections Alfalfa is not grown and is 
understood but little more, if any, than Sweet Clo- 
ver. It is to the thinking and progressive farmer 
that Sweet Clover will appeal. There certainly is a 
big demand for a plant that has such true worth 
and has so many points in its favor, recommending 
itself to the farmer of the East, West, North and 
South; to the cattle and sheep raiser of the West; 
to the feeders and corn growers of the central states ; 
to the dairyman and farmer of the East and to the 
Southern farmer, who is so much in need of a fertil- 
izer. 

Heretofore the importance of forage plants has 
not been recognized and many have thought that 
the plow and the planter were the only producers of 
values, while the truth is that our forage plants are 
of more value than the cereal crops of all kinds, and 
the profit from cattle, hogs, sheep and poultry comes 
from the pasture and hay, rather than from the crib 
or granary. If our forage plants failed but a sin- 
gle season it would bring complete disaster to every 
farmer and but a small per cent of stock of all 
kinds would survive. This fact is appreciated to 
some extent after a hard and long winter, when the 
feed supply is practically exhausted and every 
farmer is anxiously awaiting the green pasture on 
which to turn the stock. It is to the green feed 
that we must look largely for the profit that is to 
be derived out of stock of all kinds. 

— 60 — 



It is truly wonderful to study the feed propo- 
sition and see how nature has so generously pro- 
vided the green feed which is of such great import- 
ance to every stock grower. We find the green 
fields of Clover, Alfalfa, Timothy, Blue Grass and 
grasses of various kinds, and now we have another 
important crop added to our resources — the Sweet 
Clover — which bids fair to take its true place among 
the principal crops. 

Undoubtedly as the years roll by and when 
farming becomes a scientific study rather than a 
mere routine Sweet Clover will be counted in many 
sections of the country as the great money-making 
crop, and will be recognized by all as one of the most 
valuable of forage plants. 



— 61 



JAN 6 1913 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



II I 

DDOD^BGTbSS 




